Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario G. Montejo lauded the Los Baños Science Community Foundation, Inc. (LBSCFI) for its 2013 science and technology (S&T) week celebration.
Dubbed as “Syensaya”, LBSCFI’s recently concluded event commemorates DOST’s National S&T Week (NSTW) celebration. It featured an exhibit, a livelihood forum, and an S&T awarding ceremony.
In a message read by DOST Undersecretary for Regional Operations Carol M. Yorobe, Montejo also expressed his appreciation for the Foundation’s choice of theme for the celebration, “S&T toward a smarter science community”.
“It only shows your support to the Department’s advocacy for a smarter Philippines”, says in his message.
According to Montejo, “At DOST, ‘smarter’ is actually a mindset of continually finding better ways of doing things”.
“It is leveraging S&T to come up with new and better products, processes, services, and systems to improve the lives of Filipinos”.
To elaborate his point, DOST’s smarter R&Ds and projects were then enumerated.
These were Project NOAH, Advanced Device and Materials Testing Laboratory, geohazard mapping, among other undertakings.
Lastly, the Secretary praised the solid membership of the Foundation.
Montejo recognized that the Foundation’s members are a key success factor for LBSCFI to outlive all the other science communities in the country.
He noted that “although composed of diverse public and private institutions in the sciences, arts, business, and social services sectors, the Foundation’s members complement each other’s strengths”.
He also singled out the members’ exemplary cooperation to come up with a yearly Syensaya, which is now on its 6th edition.
The NSTW was instituted by virtue of Presidential Proclamation 2214 in 1982 and was later amended through Republic Act 169, which sets its annual celebration every third week of July.
On the other hand, the Los Baños Science Community, now known as LBSCFI, was established by DOST in 1984 through Presidential Executive Order No. 784.
For several years now, PCAARRD has been serving as the Foundation’s Secretariat.